What
cannot be said about these legendary brothers who's been in the
music industry for the better part of 40 years and still going
strong I might add. The Isley Brothers
are a six brother unit but in the beginning were the nucleus of
3 brothers O' Kelly Isley,
Rudolph Isley
and Ronald Isley. They were
gospel singers to start and of the 3 younger siblings brother
Vernon joined them as they
sang locally in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio in the early
50s. Vernon later died in
a car crash in 1957 and at this time the brothers decided to moved
to New York to pursue their dream.
It wouldn't take them long
as they had great success there from the start with hits like
'Shout' and 'Twist
and Shout' both records becoming standards in later
years and was widely covered many times over by acts like
Otis Day & The Knights and The
Beatles respectively. In the 60s they started their
own label T-Neck Records and
their 1st release 'Testify'
featured a then unknown Jimi Hendrix
on lead guitar. The record was not accepted due to it's experimentation
of new sounds and the two would part ways. The Brothers then signed
with Motown and scored a hit
with 'This Ol' Heart of Mine'.
In the late 60s, the two
younger brothers Ernie and
Marvin as well as cousin
Chris Jasper joined the brothers
and it's here that the group really flourished as they entered
the 70s with a new look and attitude both physically and musically.
They reestablished the T-Neck
label with a flurry of albums and singles that should give them
super stardom with tracks like 'That
Lady' (updated version of the earlier hit of the early
60s), 'I've got work to do'
as well as the ballad standards 'For
the Love of You' and 'Voyage
to Atlantis' and the rest is well as they say history.
Well
with such patronage to an art form they love so passionately,
comes the accolades and respect they so richly deserves for the
body of work they've put forth... and with that said it's come
full circle as they are truly honored here with a compilation
of today's finest singers, rappers and producers paying homage
to their legacy.
The
set in question is 'Taken To The Next
Phase (Reinterpretations)'
a retrospective of their work remixed and restructured by the
likes of ?uestLove (from The
Roots), Steven
'Lenky' Marsden
and the Ignorants
With the modern
technology flair to their disposal, Summer
Breeze is given a jolt of resurgence with Onda
handling the production and remixing measures. Esthero's
vocals are light yet crisp and sharp, very enduring to listen
to and the song does a lot of justice to not taint the original
with too many changes.
It's a lovely remake (as
is the others offered on the 4 track 12 inch) and one I'm sure
will keep their legends of fans happy as well as open the ears
of new fans still not aware of their work. A worthwhile TY-D
Pick for your listening
ear.
TD
Listen to Isley
Bros ft: Esthero
- 'Summer
Breeze'
(Onda rmx)
